1995 French Grand Prix
2 July |officialname = LXXXI Grand Prix de France |circuit = Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours |location = Magny-Cours, France |circuittype = Permanent racing facility |lapdistance = 4.250 |laps = 72 |distance = 306.000 |pole = Damon Hill |polenation = GBR |poleteam = |poletime = 1:17.225 |fastestlap = 1:20.218 |fastestlapdriver = Michael Schumacher |fastestlapnation = GER |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 51 |winner = Michael Schumacher |winnernation = GER |winnerteam = |second = Damon Hill |secondnation = GBR |secondteam = |third = David Coulthard |thirdnation = GBR |thirdteam = }} The LXXXI Grand Prix de France, otherwise known as the 1995 French Grand Prix, was the seventh round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in Magny-Cours, France, on the 2 July 1995.'French GP, 1995', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2014), https://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr571.html, (Accessed 09/08/2019) The race would go down as one of the dullest in F1 history, as Michael Schumacher claimed victory at a canter for . The build-up to the weekend had been anything but dull, with Benetton boss Flavio Briatore involving himself in a legal battle between and their third part engine suppliers. However, Briatore was on the verge of losing his lead driver for , with Schumacher reportedly very close to signing a contract with with a wage estimated at $20 million. Qualifying too was also full of intrigue, with Schumacher fighting throughout the session with the two s of Damon Hill and David Coulthard. Ultimately it was Hill who prevailed to claim pole position, a last-gasp running seeing the Brit find a quarter of a second on the German, while Coulthard was three quarters of a second down in third. Unfortunately practice had revealed that the only feasible strategy for the race would be a two stop, meaning everyone would have the same pit rotation. That meant that all of the pressure would be at the start of the race, with drivers effectively having one shot at improving their position. It was Hill who got away form the grid best, sprinting away from Schumacher to claim the lead. Rubens Barrichello also got a good launch to sweep ahead of Coulthard and Jean Alesi, although the Brazilian was quickly put under investigation for a jump start. Hill and Schumacher quickly cleared off at the head of the field, leaving Coulthard to try and find a way past Barrichello's stubborn . Unfortunately for the Scot he would lose any chance of challenging for victory in the eleven laps he was stuck behind the Brazilian, and would only get past once Barrichello was slapped with a stop-go penalty for jumping the start. Further back Alesi was defending heavily from a frustrated Johnny Herbert, who was fighting for his future at Benetton. The Frenchman and the Brit duly collided in the midst of their fight, Herbert getting sent straight into the barriers, gifting Martin Brundle fourth place for as Gerhard Berger, who had been behind the pair, had to take avoiding action. Out front, meanwhile, the race would be decided during the first pitstop window, with Schumacher staying out a few laps longer than Hill and delivering a series of fastest laps. He duly claimed an eight second lead with his overcut, and would spend the rest of the afternoon easing clear of the #5 Williams. With that the race was effectively over, with Schumacher cruising home thirty seconds clear of Hill to extend his Championship lead. Coulthard was next, but had to fend off a late charge from Brundle late on, while Alesi and Barrichello claimed the remaining points. Background In-spite of his late race failure, Michael Schumacher would leave the Canadian Grand Prix with his lead having been enhanced to seven points, having claimed 36 points across the opening six races. Damon Hill remained his closest challenger, although race winner Jean Alesi had made ground, moving onto 24 points for the season. Gerhard Berger was next ahead of Johnny Herbert, with thirteen drivers on the board. In the Constructors Championship there had been another shuffle at the top of the field, with taking a turn at the top of the table on 41 points. They hence bumped down to second, who dropped three behind the Scuderia, while slipped to third, nine off the lead. A twenty point gap then followed to , fresh from their strongest weekend, with completing the top five. Entry List The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Friday Qualifying Saturday Qualifying Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. Grid Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. ** Montermini was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 90% of the race distance. Milestones * started their 300th Grand Prix as a constructor.'7. France 1995', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1995/france.aspx, (Accessed 09/08/2019) * Fourteenth career victory for Michael Schumacher. * Nineteenth victory for as a constructor. ** secured their 64th victory as an engine supplier. Standings Victory for Michael Schumacher ensured that he left France with a controlling stake in the Championship hunt, with 46 points to his credit after seven races. That translated to an eleven point lead over Damon Hill, meaning Schumacher could afford to miss a race and still lead the Championship. Behind, Jean Alesi had lost more ground in third ahead of teammate Gerhard Berger, while David Coulthard had moved ahead of Johnny Herbert. In the Constructors Championship it was 's turn to lead the Championship, moving five points clear on 48 points. had hence had to make way for them and dropped to second, and were just a point ahead of in third. Elsewhere, kept their tally rolling with another points finish, enhancing their hold on fourth, with completing the top five. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:1995 Grands Prix Category:French Grand Prix Category:Formula One races in France